


Imoen and Ireniucs: The Dungeon

by cbrachyrhynchos



Series: The Other Bhaalspawn [1]
Category: Baldur's Gate
Genre: Gen, Torture, noncon, original baldur's gate ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-11
Updated: 2016-04-11
Packaged: 2018-06-01 16:02:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6526777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cbrachyrhynchos/pseuds/cbrachyrhynchos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Imoen looks for a way to survive Irenicus. Story takes place between Baldur's Gate and Badur's Gate II. </p><p>TW: Torture, noncon, disassociation. Not explicit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Imoen and Ireniucs: The Dungeon

Imoen hid, or tried to. From someplace else, she watched herself scream, weep, and beg as the bald man ran his tests. When the golems threw her back into a cage, she stared at the lock, and imagined picking it over and over again. She curled in the darkest corner by reflex, only to be dragged out again and again. 

"She's weak," the bald man said. Imoen sat in a chair, tied down. 

"You've always had a problem with women, Jon." A woman walked out of the shadowy corner of the room. The woman's black hair highlighted the unnatural paleness of her skin. "This one has teeth." Imoen flinched to the side as the woman bent over her. Cool air tickled the hairs on Imoen's neck as the woman breathed deep.

"She's oh so good. So good. But not innocent, not pure. She killed one of her many brothers. And what's this?" Imoen felt another chill breath, and the brief touch of sharpened teeth against her neck, followed by laughter. "She's in love, Jon. With a woman."

"The witch from Rashemen, no doubt." the bald man said. "Her magic has that style."

"Don't you touch her," Imoen said. She came out of hiding and observed the two. "Don't you dare."

"See Jon! Little kitten teeth. Little kitten claws. I'd love to turn you, little kitten. Show you how to really hunt."

"Bodhi," the bald man said. "We need her for other things."

"A shame," Bodhi said to Imoen. "We can't choose our family, can we?"

"What did you do with Dynaheir?" Imoen watched the two of them.

"Had she lived, she would have been useful to me." Jon glared at Bodhi.

"Poor, poor, kitten. Your witch didn't survive the kidnapping. You'll see it as a mercy by the time Jon is done." 

\--

Imoen hid, as much as she could. She counted books on their shelves at Candlekeep until she passed out from pain. She counted rooms in Winthrop's inn, and added more rooms to clean. She peeked through windows, keyholes, and illuminated manuscripts to the laboratories where she was strapped to the table while he wormed into her head with spells. She named the golems by distinguishing marks and features. She counted the traps in the bedroom, the absurdly bright and finished bedroom, with the sorry-looking oaks languishing under magical light.

The bald man slouched in a chair and watched as the dryads undressed Imoen. They healed her, at least to mask the visible scabs. They helped her into a tub, and bathed her. The man watched, and the hands bathing her shook as they turned to caresses. 

Imoen watched the Imoen in the tub turn her head to one of the faces so near her own. "Thou art beautiful," she whispered. She closed her eyes and tried to hide in a memory of another room, another tub, a warmer pair of human hands on her shoulder, another voice saying those words to her. 

Fine wooden lips caressed Imoen's cheek and curled into a sad smile. "May the rain fall soft on your leaves, the wind not tear at your limbs, and your toes grow deep into rich soil," the dryad whispered in return. The next words started a spell. Imoen pulled the charm around her like a blanket, and hid from the nightmare of a bedroom and a watching man.

\--

A memory, or a dream. Or something else. A tangle of limbs under a quilt. 

"Tell me a story," Imoen said.

"Thou frustrating and beautiful girl... "

"Puffguts used to tell me a story, tell me how you came here."

"When I came of age, I was sent into a cave, to receive a sign from the spirits. They are close in my land. I sat in meditation for many hours, and then they gave me a vision."

"Yep? It was of me, wasn't it?"

"Yes, Imoen, it was of thee." Dream twisted away from the memory, the arms grew cold and leathery.

"No, you told this story before. You came because of the Bhaalspawn. You came for Hero, that big lunk."

"Beloved, thou said that. I did not come for thine brother, I came for thee."

\--

Imoen hid behind her eyes and watched Irenicus. What did he want? Not murder, that could have been done days ago. She struggled to find a purpose for the experiments beyond causing pain. The pain leaked through, cutting that train of thought short. 

He needs to be given a dirt nap, Imoen thought. The usual way of a short sword between the ribs would work. Perhaps magic missiles might do the trick. 

Another Imoen laughed at her. "Yes, but you need to get close enough, and get him off guard."

"Ok smarty, but how?"

"Brother." The vampire's voice barely rose above the hissing of the laboratory equipment and came from over Imoen's shoulder. The room filled with the scent of rotting meat. 

"Now is not a good time," Baldy said.

"I brought what you asked for."

"You brought a rotting head."

"Accidents happen, and I didn't know he'd be important."

"Very well, give it a try. She's either insensible or becoming adapted to me." 

The vampire came into view and squatted down to put herself on the same level as Imoen. "Darling kitten." The vampire smiled. A spot of blood dried on the her cheek. A pale and pink hand reached out to brush knotted hair out of Imoen's eyes. The fingers were warm.

"I had big plans for our first night together. I was going to make an example of the man who killed your precious witch. But boys will be boys and accidents happen, kitten. So I brought you his head."

The vampire reached into a bag and flipped out a dirt-covered skull. The vampire put the maggot-covered mass on Imoen's lap. "I want you to think about his face when he murdered Dynaheir. My little present to you, kitten."

Imoen hid, or tried to. 

\--

"We are going to try something different, a new experiment." A golem strapped Imoen into a chair facing a table with a bloody cloth draped over a body. "The depths of your weakness or self-denial is astonishing. You don't really understand what you are, do you? So we're going to try something new."

The bald man pulled back the sheet. Khaled's body lay on the table, scored by scorch marks. "A welcome accident, really, it could have been you or your brother. I could heal him, raise him from the dead, you know that is within my power. Instead, I think he'll be an interesting teaching lesson."

Imoen struggled against the bonds, "Khaled?"

The bald man turned to the table. He picked up the scalpel and made a long cut from throat to navel. "The kitten comes out of hiding. Do you see? Do you finally see?"

Imoen shut her eyes and saw another Imoen. "Shhh. Your sword can could cut him down to size."

"Get me out of here."

"But that's not the only way to murder, is it? The Harpers wanted to smother you in your crib. Listen. Somewhere above this dungeon, a tanner stalks women, a wife is feeding her husband tainted meat, a sideshow fool imagines the greatest show the city has seen."

"I'm not..." Imoen said. 

"Sister, some of us throw off our rivals with our bare hands and wage war. And some of us hide in plain sight."

"Do you see?" 

Irenicus turned around, holding Khaled's heart in his hand. "The seat of love you call it. So much meat. Nothing of his wife in there. Do you see?" 

Imoen saw. Imoen hid. She stared into the corner and let her mouth go slack. Irenicus looked up from the heart into her eyes. He searched them for signs of violence and murder. 

"Pathetic," Irenicus put the heart down. The brother was the more promising candidate anyway. This child was just the test.

Imoen hid.

**Author's Note:**

> I used plain speech conjugation for Dynaheir. This was in progress before the Dragonspear expansion, so it has no Dragonspear content.


End file.
